Coal mining at present is limited to deep mining, strip mining, and auger mining. In deep mining underground personnel are required which involves health and safety problems for personnel underground. In strip mining over-burden removal, blasting, backfilling and replanting are necessary. Also involved are environmental problems. In auger mining approximately 50% of the coal is removed and has limited depth penetration.
This invention lets the operator remain on the surface, eliminating health and safety problems in deep mining, eliminates over-burden removal, blasting, backfilling, replanting and environmental problems of strip mining. This invention also removes practically 100% of the coal as compared to 50% for auger mining.
Prior art in this field as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,118,650, 1,850,403, 1,886,820, 2,296,161, 3,011,568, 3,958,649, and 3,586,116 are cited for lateral and angular drilling devices. None of these are capable of accomplishing the scope of this invention.
All are limited to making lateral and angular holes as opposed to this invention, capable of making cone shaped depressions in the roof, and operating at roof level, cutting and loading coal to the surface in 360 degree patterns, and should be considered basic in nature.